Unstoppable
by Stolloss
Summary: We were unstoppable. You were, at least. You were the hero, destined to save the world, and I was your sidekick, along for the ride.


Do you remember the day we met? That day we saved Caterpie? I know I will never forget that day, no matter what has happened since.

I saw you lying in the forest, and ran to help you. Ha, me helping you. I didn't know the irony of it then, but I'm sure that somewhere in those lost memories, you knew it. You knew that you would be the one to save us all. And I thought I was helping you.

We made a rescue team that day, after sending Caterpie safely home. I showed you the base I had picked out, and I saw the way your eyes lit up, and you smiled. I don't know why, but we were good friends from the moment we met. Friends forever. It didn't matter that you were human before – I didn't even fully believe that until Xatu confirmed it.

We did a pretty good job as a rescue team. We saved quite a few pokémon, and we slowly gained respect, but we were a new team. Nobody took us seriously, but they treated us kindly enough. We were pretty happy, slowly counting missions as our rank climbed, coming back to the warm and comfort of our base at the end of each day. We didn't know the meaning of hardship, of difficulty, or of distrust.

Then came darker times. I'm not just talking about how Gengar convinced everyone that you were the human cursed by Ninetales; I mean dark for me personally. I talked and talked about how I was sure that you couldn't be him, you were good, you had a heart, you would not abandon someone who meant that much to you, it was impossible to even suggest that the two of you might be the same. But when the moment came to deny it, you hesitated. You weren't sure. Neither was I. I told myself that you couldn't be him, but that idea dug itself into my mind, along with a question. If you were the human who had abandoned the gardevoir in the legend after all, would you abandon me as well?

Yes, I ran away with you, and followed you all the way to Mount Freeze to find the answer, but I wasn't looking for your answer. I was looking for mine, and I got it. You would not abandon me, not if it would cost you your life.

That was when we really became famous, when everyone learned that we had beaten Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. Whenever we went into town, we were always greeted warmly, by so many pokémon. Oh, did you just get back from a rescue mission? How did it go? Where did you go? Oh, that is a dangerous place. Good job, I see you made it there and back with no harm. Of course, we expect no less from the famous duo!

Funny; so many people knew our name, but so few knew us. Even now, surrounded by so many others, it is just you and me here.

Everyone saw us as an unstoppable team, charging into danger to save anyone who needed us, from whatever trouble they may be in. They all saw how we proudly returned again and again from the jaws of defeat, and courageously journeyed out again, defeating enemies larger, older, and stronger than us. They all knew how we did the impossible. Nobody saw us at the base, bandaging our wounds. Nobody heard you cry at night after that one time when we were just a few seconds too late to save a pokémon. Nobody but you knew that again and again, I trembled and hesitated in the face of each new threat, trudging on only because I knew you were next to me, protecting me. Nobody saw our weaknesses but us.

We were still unstoppable, despite those weaknesses. You were, at least. You were the hero, destined to save the world, and I was your sidekick, along for the ride. You protected me the whole way; from Gengar, from Groudon, from Rayquaza. I knew you stepped in front of me in the last moments we had on that tower, trying to take the brunt of the blast for me. It was why I woke up before you did; you shielded me, and it almost cost you your life. You still pulled through, after being pulled back from the brink of death by, of all pokémon, Gengar! I couldn't believe it. It was true; nothing could stop you, so nothing could separate us. Yet here we are. Me, sobbing on the ground, begging you not to go, and you, vanishing before my eyes.

I'm pleading with you, yelling at you not to leave, knowing full well that it's useless. Legends and death could not stop you, and neither can I. After I woke up, and saw that you were alive, I was sure of so many things. Sure that the world was finally safe, that everything would turn out alright in the end, that we would continue to be a rescue team together, forever. But you knew all along that it would never be. You got your answer, and I got mine. At the last moment, you were going to abandon me.

Now I'm not sure of anything, not even our past. When you protected me, was it because you cared, or because you knew it didn't matter if you died, that you were going to be leaving this world anyway? Did you let me follow you around because you liked me, or because you needed someone - anyone – to watch your back? That day, when we promised to be together forever – did you lie? Did you not know this day would come? Why didn't you tell me?

Were we friends? Or was I just another one of the many you showed courage to, seeing you as the invulnerable hero, but not a real friend?

There are others around us, crying out in various states of shock and disbelief, but we ignore them. It is just me, crying on the ground, and you telling me not to cry. You hug me, trying to protect me from this world one more time, even though your embrace is lighter than air and I can barely see you, and I finally know. You ignore everyone else, focusing only on me, and I know. You do care about me, as a close friend. I don't know why you are leaving now, but the tears in your eyes say it hurts, and I believe you.

Your grip fades, and I feel you leave. I can't see you anymore; you are finally gone, gone to some other world where you are needed. We are left to put the pieces of our world back together, but the danger is gone. This world doesn't need you anymore, so you leave to a world that does. That doesn't change the fact that I need you by my side, that without you, my life is over. In all the times we went out on rescue missions, it never crossed my mind that you might die. You were not invulnerable, I had seen you hurt enough to know that, but I had never imagined that you might actually die and leave the team to me. Ironically, you never did die. I'm sure that will become a legend; the pokémon that saved us all, and never died. You will become a symbol of hope and perseverance to so many, and I can't stand the thought that nobody will remember you for being you, just as no one knew you like I did.

I'm still lying on the ground, my face covered in tears. Everyone else has quieted down, the shouts lowering to soft murmurs. They all gradually begins to leave, drifting away from the cliff side that was a few moments ago a place of such happiness and joy. Someone picks me up and carries me away. We have to move on; we can't stay here mourning forever. I know that, and I also know I can't do it. A part of me will always be here, standing in the spot you left, waiting for you to return. It was just you and me, through all the dark nights and terrors, and now it's just me, all alone.

Funny – if I squint just right, I can imagine that the setting sun looks just like the light you gave off when you left, and that you are returning to the exact spot you left. But that's impossible. And I can't do the impossible anymore.


End file.
